Take Her Soul
by Nightengale
Summary: The fight for Alex's soul. Written before the season finale, still mostly fits


When Keats comes through the door Alex suddenly feels as though she can see that bullet all over again rushing toward her. She stands up but doesn't know why. Gene comes to the door of his office like the two of them are facing off. She steps once away from her desk and Keats' head whips around with such a speed to stare at her that she stumbles the next few steps in surprise until she stops, as if compelled, between them.

"What made you think you would ever leave this place?" Keats says to her.

The room is starting to get darker like blackness is creeping up the walks and coating the room. Her eyes slide from side to side watching it drip like paint, like slime. She can't speak.

"Bolly!"

Gene shouts from behind her but she can't move. She can only stare at Keats in the door way. Even he is growing darker, but not like the room, like he is the source. She feels the presence of wings in front and wings behind. She can't really see them, not like an actual physical presence, but like smoke surrounding Keats, large dark wings.

"Me?" She asks.

"You are never going home, Alex."

"What are you talking about?" she gasps out surprising herself at how tiny her voice is. "How do you…"

Ray, Chris, and Shaz on either side haven't moved a centimeter since Keats first came in the door. They look frozen in place like statues, staring at nothing.

"Alex!"

She can't turn around to see Gene though she desperately wants to. Her eyes stay glued to Keats.

"You've done so very well, Alex." Keats begins to walk toward her.

"Stop it!" Gene shouts from behind her.

"You have gone down just the path you should for all my words and gentle nudges and pushes in the right direction."

"Don't listen to him, Alex!"

"One more step with that loss of trust brings you into my arms."

"No, not her too." Gene's voice breaks for just a second and just wants to look back at him. "You took Sam from me and you will not take her too."

"But I will." Keats steps forward again.

She blinks and feels herself leaning backwards at Keats approach but she can't move her feet. She's rooted to the spot. The blackness is spreading so she can't see the walls of the office anymore, the desks barely there.

"I told you I would take you down, Gene." He looks to each side at the motionless three. "Piece by piece."

"Don't do it." Gene's voice is cold with a level of desperation. "You know they are mine."

"Not all of them."

Suddenly, it's as if Chris has evaporated on the spot, turned into smoke. First Alex can see through him and then as Keats moves his hand Chris disappears like dust blowing around in the wind.

"Oh my god!" Alex screams and her knees begin to shake. "Chris!"

He's gone. Chris is just gone as if he was never there before.

"Damn you, he still had time!" She feels Gene getting closer to her, fighting against the pressure all around them. "I could have saved him!"

Keats' smile twists into an ugly semblance of a grin, cruel with his own self satisfaction and triumph.

"That's now how the game works, Gene. You must win the hearts as well as the minds and looks like you lost that one." He snaps his fingers and the room goes even blacker. "No getting him back now."

"I had time."

"He's not the one you should be worried about." Keats eyes bore into her. "He's not the key."

Alex feels cold. She knows they are talking about her. She feels so small, helpless, like she's trapped in a box, a chess piece to be won.

"Gene…" Alex pleads, needing an answer, needing something to put the light back on. "Please, help…"

Suddenly his hand is on her shoulder and she can feel a glow behind her. "You can't take her, not now."

Gene's voice is confident now and light grows in the corners of her eyes.

Keats' menacing grin becomes a frown, some of the darkness receding around him. It feels like two pairs of wings flapping against each other, two ravens fighting over a shinny piece of discarded tinsel. Turning his head to the side, Keats looks at them out of the corner of his eye. Then he smiles again.

"She's yours." Then he smiles with teeth like a predator. "For now."

Alex blinks, the lights flash, and Gene is in front of her holding her up by her shoulders. Her vision blurs and she blinks rapidly trying to refocus.

"Bolly?"

She clears her throat and makes her self stand up straight putting a hand to her head. She feels dizzy like she's been running.

"Bolly?"

"Yeah?" she manages.

"You all right?"

"Yes, I…" She looks him in the eye. "What was I… I just felt a bit dizzy."

Gene lets go of her shoulders and nods. "Not going to have some fainting spell are you? Going for the old Victorian cop out?"

Alex huffs and turns away from him. She looks around the office to see Ray at his desk and Shaz heading out the door with a stack of papers in her arms. She turns back around to Gene still standing close beside her.

"Where is Chris?" she asks.

Gene just looks at her and for a moment she feels wind at her back. His eyes shift slightly away from her then he turns around and goes back into his office without saying a word.


End file.
